Just heard an ad by some dental society. It said that a low carb diet can cause
bad breath.
Nah, I said!
Yes, said this article:

Low-Carb Diets Can Cause Bad Breath
Experts offer tips to fight the odor.

Low-carb diets may be good for your waistline, but you might not be able to say
the same for your breath.

Low-carb lifestyle junkies are more likely to suffer from a seldom discussed
side effect of such diets -- halitosis, aka bad breath. And since more than 25
million people say they have tried the Atkins diet (not to mention other
low-carb eating plans), according to the National Marketing Institute, bad
breath may be an epidemic!

Bad breath in the low/no-carb sect is often caused by certain chemicals that
are released in the breath as the body burns fat. They are called ketones, and
entering into a fat-burning state of ketosis is the hallmark of the Atkins
diet. So the good news is that if your breath stinks, you're probably doing a
good job of sticking to that low-carb diet.

"Carbohydrates aren't readily available, so you start to use other fats and
proteins as your source of energy, and as a result you are going to get a
breath problem," explains Kenneth Burrell, DDS, the senior director of the
council on scientific affairs of the American Dental Association.

Pass the Bread?
This is not an oral hygiene problem, Burrell says, so "all the brushing,
flossing, and scraping of the tongue that you can do is not possibly enough to
overcome this."

The bottom line is that you must "reconsider the diet and modify it so this
doesn't happen," he says. Sure, "there may be some ways to mask it by using
mouthwashes, but you can't overcome the fundamental problem other than by
changing the diet -- or at least introducing some carbohydrates."

"It's a difficult problem to solve because if one uses any sucking candy or
lozenge, one has to be careful that it has no sugar in it" as sugar is a big
no-no on many low-carb eating plans, says S. Lawrence Simon, DDS, a New York
City periodontist. Even so-called "sugar-free" products are often loaded with
carbs.

"If you have a metabolic cause of bad breath, there is very little the dentist
can do; you have to change your diet," he says.

In fact, "the South Beach diet permits more carbs than the traditional Atkins
diet, so there is bound to be less bad breath on South Beach because you are
not going into a state of ketosis," he says.

asking the Problem While Dropping the Pounds



"If I was dropping weight, I would buy more sugarless mints, not quit the
diet," says Charles H. Perle, DMD, a general dentist in Jersey City, N.J., and
a spokesman for the Academy of General Dentistry.



Perle says that even though this is not an oral hygiene problem, certain things
can help banish the bad breath or at least mask the odor.

Drink more water.

Chew sugarless gum.

Suck on sugarless mints. In particular, those that contain Xylitol also kill
bacteria and can prevent cavities.

Or, he says, "drink water and swish it around in your mouth after you eat. It
moistens the mouth and gets the food particles that may contribute to odor out.


"Basically when you are on a low-carbohydrate diet, the key to success is
breaking fat into ketones to create ketosis, and as ketones get into urine and
saliva, it can cause horrible breath," Perle tells WebMD.

In fact, this problem is openly acknowledged by the Atkins diet proponents. The
Atkins web site states that often this bad breath, while "annoying," is
actually chemical proof that you're burning stored body fat.

According to the web site, drinking plenty of water helps dilute the
concentration of ketones. In addition, chewing fresh parsley can help.

If your bad breath persists, see your doctor, as it can be a sign of a serious
medical condition, such as diabetes.

On 26 Oct 2004 21:27:54 GMT, c (TOM KAN PA) wrote:

>Just heard an ad by some dental society. It said that a low carb diet can cause
>bad breath

Check this out, too:
http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/ketobreath.htm

Carol
--
"Years ago my mother used to say to me... She'd say,
'In this world Elwood, you must be oh-so smart or oh-so pleasant.'
Well, for years I was smart.... I recommend pleasant. You may quote me."

*James Stewart* in the 1950 movie, _Harvey_

>.comic (TOM KAN PA) wrote:
>
>Just heard an ad by some dental society. It said that a low carb diet can
>cause bad breath

Dentists have the worst breath.


---= BOYCOTT FRANCE (belgium) GERMANY--SPAIN =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
*********
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."
Sheldon
````````````

<< Dentists have the worst breath. >>

____Reply Separator_____

Yeah, and those masks they wear don't do a damn thing to filter it!!

>(TOM KAN PA) writes:
>
>>penmart01 wrote:
>> Dentists have the worst breath.
>
>
>Yeah, and those masks they wear don't do a damn thing to filter it!!

At least the hygienists dab parfume in their cleavage.


---= BOYCOTT FRANCE (belgium) GERMANY--SPAIN =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
*********
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."
Sheldon
````````````

In article >,
Damsel in dis Dress > wrote:

> "Years ago my mother used to say to me... She'd say,
> 'In this world Elwood, you must be oh-so smart or oh-so pleasant.'
> Well, for years I was smart.... I recommend pleasant. You may quote me."
>
> *James Stewart* in the 1950 movie, _Harvey_


Fabulous movie.

Elwood: "Well, I've wrestled with reality for 35 years, doctor, and I'm
happy to state I finally won out over it."

Veta: "I took a course in art last winter. I learnt the difference
between a fine oil painting, and a mechanical thing, like a photograph.
The photograph shows only the reality. The painting shows not only the
reality, but the dream behind it. It's our dreams ... that carry us on.
They separate us from the beasts. I wouldn't want to go on living if I
thought it was all just eating, and sleeping, and taking my clothes off,
I mean putting them on...."

--
to respond (OT only), change "spamless.invalid" to "optonline.net"

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